Sunday, 17 March 2013

The body is delivered to her hangar in a crystal glass casing with golden frames. her body is positioned so that her hands are together holding a single red rose. Clad in a white funeral gown she looks almost peaceful and life-like with the intricate make-up detail, glossy red lips, and immaculate blush and eyeliner work.It's clear that a lot of restorative work has been done to the body to make it beautiful again. A snow white angel in a crystal casing, in vacuum suspension.

Laria realised that some people might think it a bit odd to have their own corpse displayed in their quarters. She looked at it as a reminder, a lesson... and a watershed. A dividing line between then and now. In many ways, he had taken her innocence. She had run away from everything she had built up, had fought with Jude... for what? For a life as a pirate? What was that worth?

It was worth the pumping of adrenaline through her body, even with her life support systems warning of a chemical imbalance. It was worth the electricity shocking through her when she fired on the law-abiding. It was worth the feeling of being an outsider, on the edge of civilisation and not being sure which direction looked more inviting.

It was worth looking in the mirror and not quite knowing the body you saw, but liking the confidence in her eyes and the smile on her lips.

Laria looked at the display case, and reached up a hand to lightly touch the crystal glass. "Teach me to be bad," she whispered to her former self.